MARGI PEOPLE; FACTS THAT CANNOT BE DISPROVEN.

By Ijumduya Simon Mamza

29th November, 2021

We all know that the centre of the terrorist attack has been in one of the Northern states in Nigeria where a special kind of people abode, yet they remain unshaken to secede. It is necessary to know who these set of bravado are in terms of their culture, their occupation and the historical background behind their bravery that still kept them upright as a nation existing in the country Nigeria. These people might belong to the minority but what they harbor within is more than majority and there is every reason to their footsteps.

According to historical record, Nigeria has over 250 different ethnic groups and 500 languages. One of these ethnic groups is the Margi tribe, which according to some reports ranked number 30 out of the 250. But going by some modern statistical researches, Margi tribe can be ranked number 15 considering the fact that modern discoveries show that there are Margi people in some states apart from Borno and Adamawa.
Margi people are generally dark and tall while some are fair in complexion. They are of good physique, intelligent, brave and hardworking. A good number of them are great warriors. The Margi man fights on foot and horseback; also he can lay ambush and carry attack whether alone or in groups, when attacked. They believe in self-confidence, self-reliance, self-sufficiency and being independence. A Margi man does not believe in being a social liability or dependent on anybody, even his father, but on himself. He believes in the dignity of labor. After the invasion of the old Kanem-Borno empire by Rabeh between 1893 and 1900, he extended his attack on Margi Mulgwi (Mulgwe) with modern hardware and war techniques, but surprisingly Margi proved more superior in bravery and prowess than Rabeh’s army. They killed 84 of his soldiers and seized 80 riffles and guns. As if that was the end, Rabeh’s son, Fad L Allah, attacked Izge, but most of his soldiers were put to death.

Elders do say that a child who does not die young will live long to see old age. The Margi proved that they are not meant to die that easily even at the attack put up against them. Margi people live in round, rectangular mud buildings. These are thatch-roofed and fenced with either zana mats usually known as ‘Thlavu’, corn stalks and mud walls. They settle according to where their clans are found. Some of the clans include: Mamza, Achagwa, Gadzama, Medugu, Mambula, Kwagyang, Ishidi and others to mention but few.
The most important and honored occupation in Margi right from their forefathers is farming. They believe that the land after all is a provider of food. They respect the land that they find it as a taboo to make a waste of it. Crops cultivated on the farm land include: Bambara nuts (a’uinu), Bene seed (mai), Guinea corn (uhi), Maize (masar), Millet (yadi), Rice (purgami), etc.
Before now, Margi men wore lion tanned apron of goat skin decorated, which is called ‘Pizhi or Bantiang’. The traditional clothes made from cotton were used only for ceremonies. Their traditional mode of dressing has been replaced by the modern mode of dressing. In the same vein, Margi women used goat skin called ‘dzar’ which is specially made to cover their private parts. Gumbara, a kind of cotton-woven cloth stitch in black and white was a special kind of wrapper used by the women for special occasions like burial. These women still use ‘jambai’ up till today.
Amala and Akpu are to the Yorubas and Igbos respectively, while Tuwo is to the Hausas but the special meals of the Margi is neither of these. ‘Kifi Kubakuba ’ commonly known as Margi special is the dish that the Margi serves Nigeria. It is an aromatically irresistible meal that beats any other kind of meal in Nigeria. There are other classes of soup like ‘vula’, ‘cabi’, ‘mtaahu’ and ‘ukuri’. The swallows that can accompany these classes of soup are ‘dufu uhi’ (made from guinea corn) and dufu masar (made from maize). You need to try out their meal anytime you visit Maiduguri state.

The Margi people tend to be very important in Nigeria that they glow the country with their decency and neatness. This was confirmed by one of the early historian and European travellers, Dr. Barth, who came to Nigeria through Maiduguri to Udzugu (Izge) in 1885 and explained how he saw a very fine and neat earth bed (kangur). He added that even the drinking calabashes of Margi women were very neat. From that little description of the Margi culture and lifestyle, we can now tell that the Margi people stand to be not just unique but the beauty that the giant of Africa, Nigeria cannot do without.

MARGI ATTIRE

Margi Attire